Medical professionals open letters on proposed changes to abortion legislation

Dear Members of Parliament,

We are writing as medical professionals to express our support for Caroline Ansell MP’s amendment New Clause 15¹ to the Criminal Justice Bill that would reduce the upper time limit for abortion from 24 to 22 weeks.²

This amendment is long overdue in light of the increased numbers of babies born at 22 or 23 weeks who are now able to survive. In the decade to 2019 alone, the survival rate for babies born at 23 weeks doubled,³ prompting new guidance from the British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM) that enables doctors to intervene to save premature babies from 22 weeks gestation.⁴

In 1990, the abortion time limit was reduced from 28 to 24 weeks gestation in reflection of medical and technological advancements that had resulted in improving survival rates for babies born before 28 weeks gestation. A reduction in the upper time limit to 22 weeks would be appropriate now given further medical advancements that have led to significant further improvements in survival rates for babies who are born before the 24-week abortion limit.

A reduction to 22 weeks is a moderate change that ought to command widespread support, particularly in the context of the median abortion time limit among EU countries, which is 12 weeks gestation. As medical professionals, we, the undersigned, urge MPs to support this important amendment.

Yours sincerely,

Dear Members of Parliament,

We are writing as medical professionals to express our grave concerns with Diana Johnson MP’s amendment New Clause 1[1] to the Criminal Justice Bill that would remove offences that make it illegal for women to perform their own abortions right through to birth.

If offences that make it illegal for a woman to perform her own abortion at any gestation were repealed, such abortions would, de facto, become possible up to birth for any reason including abortions for sex-selective purposes, as women could mistakenly or wilfully mislead abortion providers about their gestational age. If this amendment were to become law, it would also likely lead to serious risks to women’s health because of the dangers involved with self-administered late abortions.

The Government’s own recent review of abortion complications in England from 2017 to 2021 found that the complication rate for medical abortions that happen in a clinical setting is 160 times higher for abortions at 20 weeks and over compared with medical abortions under 10 weeks.[2] The complication rate is likely to be far higher for women performing their own abortions at home without medical supervision well beyond the current 24-week time limit.

Quite aside from the increased number of viable babies’ lives being ended beyond the 24-week time limit, there would likely be a significant increase in such complications if Diana Johnson’s amendment were to pass as it would remove any legal deterrent against women performing their own abortions late in pregnancy. The current law permits flexibility and compassion where necessary but, for these reasons, we believe a legal deterrent remains important.

Rather than making matters worse by passing this amendment, as medical professionals, we, the undersigned, call on MPs to vote against New Clause 1. We also urge Parliament to restore in-person appointments before women may be prescribed abortion pills in order to accurately assess their gestational age and health. This is an important part of safeguarding (to protect against coerced abortion) and would enable healthcare professionals to ensure it is both medically and legally appropriate for a woman to be prescribed abortion pills.

Yours sincerely,